Pre-game editor not working error "Unable to find some essential data"

I fixed it. There was a difference regarding the names of the folders where the game and the pre-game editor were installed. One is called "FM24pregameeditor" and the other is "FootballManager24". Those are the default names that the Epic Games installer gives to installation directories so  every time I opened the editor the path in "special folders" .xml file pointed to an "FM24" folder that did not exist. So in notepad I changed the path to "FootballManager24" folder and now everything is working fine.  If anyone is having the same issue just open the "special folders" .xml file in the folder where your pre-game editor is installed via notepad and change the "FM24" path to  "FootballManager24". You can use the "replace" option in the notepad so you don't need to manually replace every word.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Haldirize

Thank you for the update.  

Hi I'm having the same issue, is there any way you could do an idiots guide to how you fixed this problem?

How do I fix this on Mac - Epic games?

I have this error when i try to open the FM24 in game editor.

IMG_1514.HEIC

On 08/11/2023 at 22:51, edaz78 said:

Hi I'm having the same issue, is there any way you could do an idiots guide to how you fixed this problem?

so where the pre game editor is installed right click on the editor icon and click on show package contents then go into resources and open the special folders document with texedit or note pad then change everything that says FM24 with FootballManager24 but there is an easier way to change it by pressing command+f if on Mac not sure with windows then click replace.

Having finally found where the editor was hidden, unfortunately the special folders xml file is hard locked with security restrictions I can't even bypass as administrator. Are there any other workarounds for this - I'm on the XBox Gamepass version.

2 hours ago, RSB said:

Having finally found where the editor was hidden, unfortunately the special folders xml file is hard locked with security restrictions I can't even bypass as administrator. Are there any other workarounds for this - I'm on the XBox Gamepass version.

where did you find the editor?

12 hours ago, chestnut79 said:

where did you find the editor?

Program Files\WindowsApps\SportsInteractive.FootballManager2024Editor_0.9.25.2_x64__5w3tn6tb6stnm

Which was a security locked folder that I did manage to get access to, no dice with the xml file though.

Same Issue here...

9 minutes ago, Hanky2 said:

Same Issue here...

Me too. Haven't been able to access the editor since launch because of this issue.

En 6/11/2023 a las 20:16, Haldirize dijo:

I fixed it. There was a difference regarding the names of the folders where the game and the pre-game editor were installed. One is called "FM24pregameeditor" and the other is "FootballManager24". Those are the default names that the Epic Games installer gives to installation directories so  every time I opened the editor the path in "special folders" .xml file pointed to an "FM24" folder that did not exist. So in notepad I changed the path to "FootballManager24" folder and now everything is working fine.  If anyone is having the same issue just open the "special folders" .xml file in the folder where your pre-game editor is installed via notepad and change the "FM24" path to  "FootballManager24". You can use the "replace" option in the notepad so you don't need to manually replace every word.

but where i find that folder? im using the gamepass version btw

and yes, i tried that "windows app" folder but i cant get access (i know how to get access, im just not going to touch things on a hidden folder, its hidden for a reason, why in hell Sega would mess up with that?)

Edited November 15, 2023 by NathanaelEKH

Any update to this for gamepass users, the editor worked originally but not for the last few days

1 hour ago, lemmings999 said:

Any update to this for gamepass users, the editor worked originally but not for the last few days

Had exactly the same issue. Uninstall the editor and then go into your hard drive, Users, your username folder, AppData, Local, Sports Interactive, and you'll see the editor folder for FM24. Delete this folder and reinstall the editor and it should work. It worked for me, and I've had no issues since.

Hi, this was, as the users have pointed out, an issue with the folder names on Epic not matching up which had a fix go out on 10th November.

For the posts since the 10th however, we need the user's to confirm, (A) that they are on Epic and (B) if the issue reproduces after checking the game & Epic are up to date.

If so, then this may be another issue and we'll need a new thread to be created, thank you.

On 19/11/2023 at 03:49, Zachary Whyte said:

Hi, this was, as the users have pointed out, an issue with the folder names on Epic not matching up which had a fix go out on 10th November.

For the posts since the 10th however, we need the user's to confirm, (A) that they are on Epic and (B) if the issue reproduces after checking the game & Epic are up to date.

If so, then this may be another issue and we'll need a new thread to be created, thank you.

I'm a Game Pass user and continued to have the issue until I tried the method I stated above. 

On 18/11/2023 at 07:22, jyny said:

Had exactly the same issue. Uninstall the editor and then go into your hard drive, Users, your username folder, AppData, Local, Sports Interactive, and you'll see the editor folder for FM24. Delete this folder and reinstall the editor and it should work. It worked for me, and I've had no issues since.

No dice for me, unfortunately, but the difference for me is that it never worked to begin with, so I might have a different issue.

On 18/11/2023 at 13:49, Zachary Whyte said:

Hi, this was, as the users have pointed out, an issue with the folder names on Epic not matching up which had a fix go out on 10th November.

For the posts since the 10th however, we need the user's to confirm, (A) that they are on Epic and (B) if the issue reproduces after checking the game & Epic are up to date.

If so, then this may be another issue and we'll need a new thread to be created, thank you.

A) On Game Pass, not Epic

B) the issue (editor errors out when its loading the database) persists. The game seems to be playing just fine.

ETA: just realized the error message was much different than OP, but yeah, it doesn't work for me, hasn't since release.

Edited November 21, 2023 by The Tr0ll
added error message

5 hours ago, The Tr0ll said:

A) On Game Pass, not Epic

B) the issue (editor errors out when its loading the database) persists. The game seems to be playing just fine.

ETA: just realized the error message was much different than OP, but yeah, it doesn't work for me, hasn't since release.

Oh my error was the same as the OP. Also on Game Pass, not Epic.

8 hours ago, The Tr0ll said:

No dice for me, unfortunately, but the difference for me is that it never worked to begin with, so I might have a different issue.

Sorry it didn't help. The editor is still buggy though. Even I managed to get to working it takes ages to load up, even I'm using a high-end machine. Still occasionally crashes as well.

Hope you can get it working soon.

Hello, if you are getting different error messages, please create a new thread, thank you.

It already appears as FootballManager2024. How can it be fixed? There have been constant errors since the game was released.

Yeah, it's the same for me as well. Reckon SI pushed through a patch which fixed the pathing in the xml file, but seems to be that this was only a hotfix and not the real issue.

22 hours ago, safasirin said:

It already appears as FootballManager2024. How can it be fixed? There have been constant errors since the game was released.

Yeah, it is the same for me. Seems like SI patched the pathing, but apparently that was not the real issuse and just a temporary hotfix.

I have now got it sorted, what seemed to fix it for me was to delete the editor and download it to same disk that I had the game installed on, rather than a different disk. This might be your issue as well @safasirin . It appears as the pathing in the "special folders" doesn't recognize the game if it's on a different drive. Don't know if it's intended to be like that or if it's a completely irrelevant issue which fixed itself by re-downloading the editor.

Sorry for being absent for so long. I don't know if anyone else is still having the same issue but I forgot to mention that I got the game from Epic Games store and I am using Windows  so I'm not sure how to fix this on Gamepass or any other platform. I suppose the fix, in essence, boils down to the "special folders" .xml file that is found in the folder where you pre-game editor is installed. I don't know if SI patched it or not but if they did and if the path in the xml file is correct you need to also make sure that the editor is installed on the same drive where your game is installed.  This worked for me and I haven't had any problems with the editor since. Other than that I really don't have any other ideas or solutions for this other than waiting for SI to fix it through the next patch.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Haldirize